


compatriots

by Trillian_Astra



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Gen, Oneshot, Pre-Movie, chuck & mako friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-12-23 01:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/920451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trillian_Astra/pseuds/Trillian_Astra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>OK so according to the Wiki Chuck and Mako are the same age. Which means that Stacker was raising Mako and Herc was raising Chuck, in their respective shatterdomes, at the same time. And I like the idea that these two kids who are growing up in a distinctly adult environment would end up being pretty close (if only because there are no other kids around).</p><p>so this is Mako Mori and Chuck Hansen, being BFFs at various pre-teen/teen/young adult ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	compatriots

In the summer after Mako’s eleventh birthday, Marshal Pentecost was temporarily stationed in Sydney, at what was left of the Sydney base.

They weren’t there long, only  a month.  But that was long enough for Mako to meet another child who was growing up in Jaeger bases. His name was Chuck, and he glared at her sullenly across the mess hall the first day she saw him. 

Mako had asked Sensei why Chuck was there, and if he had survived a kaiju attack like she had. Pentecost hadn’t answered her there, in the noisy hall, but later that day had explained that Chuck’s mother had been killed in the Sydney attack the year before, and Chuck’s father was a Ranger, so now Chuck lived at the base with his dad. 

The next day, Mako encountered him again, in the training room. She’d been training since she was eight, and she made sure to practice every day.  Chuck was wearing training gear as well when she walked into the room. 

“Where did you come from?” he asked. 

“I came with Marshal Pentecost. He’s my guardian. Do you mind if I train?” 

She saw curiosity flicker across his face for a moment. “What do you practice?” 

“Judo. When I’m older I’ll start learning Jaeger Bushido.” 

“Same here,” Chuck said. 

“Are you going to be a Ranger?” 

He nodded. “I’m going to be the best Ranger ever.” 

Mako smiled despite herself. 

* 

When Chuck is thirteen, he’s already studying Jaeger Bushido with the other trainee Rangers, some of whom are twice his age or older. 

He holds his own, and makes his father immeasurably proud. 

He does so well, in fact, that the PPDC agree to let his father move to Tokyo for a season, so that he can train with Marshal Pentecost. 

He’s walking to his new room when he runs into a girl coming out of one of the other rooms. 

“Mako?” he said incredulously. 

She spun around. “Chuck! I heard your father was being stationed here for a while.” 

“Yeah that’ s actually because of me. To advance my training.” 

“Really? That’s great, you must be doing so well…” 

“Hey, uh… I just need to dump my stuff,” he indicated the duffel bag over his shoulder, “but could you maybe show me around?” 

She smiled brightly. “Sure!” 

* 

All through school, Mako worked hard at her studies, while at the same time continuing her training. By the time she was fifteen, she had already started learning Bushido, and she was determined to master it and become a Ranger. 

Her sometime childhood friend and, more recently, email penpal Chuck had just been made a Ranger, and he was the same age as her. But his father had started his training much earlier, and Sensei had insisted that she focus on her schoolwork instead.  She knew he wanted to keep her safe, and she was grateful for everything he’d done for her, but she was starting to chafe against his protectiveness. 

She sat at her desk, reading an email from Chuck. He was telling her about his Drift training and about being partnered with his dad, and she could tell that he was excited. She thought for a moment, and started typing a reply. 

To: [chanson@PPDCsydney.au](mailto:chanson@PPDCsydney.au)

From: [mmori@PPDCtokyo.jp](mailto:mmori@PPDCtokyo.jp)

Subject: RE: first Drift! 

Chuck, 

It’s so good to hear that your pilot training is going well. I’m still studying Bushido, my trainers say I’m doing really well considering that I’m the youngest trainee. The Marshal keeps telling me to focus on school and to start thinking about college, though… why can’t he see that I don’t want to go to college, I want to be a Ranger. I know I can do it… or I will be able to, when I finish my studies. 

I suppose I just have to be patient… at least I know you understand. 

Keep me posted about how things are going in Sydney. 

Your friend, 

Mako xx

 

PS. Sending you a photo so you can see my new look!

PPS. Give Max a cuddle from me. 

* 

To: [mmori@PPDCtokyo.jp](mailto:mmori@PPDCtokyo.jp)

From: [chanson@PPDCsydney.au](mailto:chanson@PPDCsydney.au)

Subject: RE: training (at last!) 

Mori-san, 

So you finally got Pentecost to let you start the Ranger program! Congrats from Sydney! 

(Dad says well done, by the way) 

Seventeen and starting the program… you must be the youngest in your class. I know how that feels. And I also know how great it feels when you take down someone twice your age in the kwoon. 

Have you done any simulator trials yet? Let me know what your scores are (though I’m already pretty sure you’re going to kick ass). 

Later, 

Chuck. 

* 

By the time Mako was nineteen, she was balancing Ranger training with being one of the senior technical experts in the Tokyo Shatterdome. For some time she’d been rebuilding an old American Jaeger that had been retired a few years previously. 

It was called Gipsy Danger, and its last pilots had been the Becket brothers. They would never pilot her again, though, because the elder brother was killed in the same attack that damaged the Jaeger, and the younger had left the PPDC shortly afterwards. Sometimes, late in the evening when the crew had gone to the mess hall for their dinner, she would stand and look up at Gipsy Danger and wonder if the Jaeger had any kind of memory of her old pilots. 

(Gipsy Danger was always a _she_ to Mako, and so was Cherno Alpha, but she always thought of Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka as _he_. It was silly, because of course all four Jaegers were metal and electronics and weren’t male or female, they weren’t even alive. But she could never quite shake the feeling that the inactive Jaegers were quietly watching her from their bays.) 

She heard a snuffling sound behind her, and turned to see a dog. But not just any dog – it was Max, Chuck’s bulldog, waddling his way towards her. She crouched down. “Hey, boy, what are you doing here?” she said out loud as he licked at her face. 

“C’mon, Max, Miss Mori doesn’t need a bath right now,” a voice said. She looked up and saw Chuck standing there.  “Miss Mori,” he added, with a nod. 

“Mr Hansen,” she replied. Her attempt to keep a straight face failed, in part because of Max, and she broke out in a grin. “Hey, Chuck.” 

“Hey yourself.” He looked up at Gipsy. “Your work?” 

She shrugged. “I had help.” 

“She’s looking good for a relic.” 

Mako stood up. “Hey, she is not a _relic_! We can’t all have Mark Vs to play with, you know.” 

*

Chuck saw the way Raleigh Becket looked at Mako, and he didn’t like it. 

The only thing he liked less, in fact, was the way Mako was looking at Raleigh. 

He saw them fight in the kwoon, and could see immediately how compatible they were. Once he had realised that, he decided that he didn’t need to stick around for the rest of it, and slipped out. 

Later, Mako came to find him. “Hi,” she said. 

“Where’s Becket?” he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

She shrugged. “In his room, probably.” 

“I saw your fight. He’s good for a wash-out.” 

“There are some things you don’t forget. I guess you’d know that.” 

“Are you going to pilot with him? I know that’s what you want, and the two of you are obviously compatible.” 

“If I can. Are you OK, Chuck?” 

He turned to look at her. “We’re still friends, right?” 

“Of course.” 

“I just… don’t want to lose you to him.” 

Mako stared at him for a moment. “You’re my friend. He _might_ end up being my co-pilot. I don’t see a problem with that. It’ll be fine, Chuck. In a few years we’ll be laughing about this.” 

“I hope you’re right,” he said. 

* 

Mako was happy with Raleigh, was happy with her work helping with the kaiju clean-up, was happy with the little house they’d found. 

But she missed her friend. She knew, objectively, that his sacrifice had saved them all. But she also knew how much she missed him, and how much she wanted to be able to talk to him about everything that was going on in her life. 

Sometimes she would take Max for a walk, and while the dog was sniffing around in the park she would look up at the sky and think, _I miss you, Chuck_. 

*


End file.
